Chelsea lined up with Cesc Fabregas and Tiemoue Bakayoko in the midweek defeat to Roma, but the pair struggled to provide protection for the back three, and it remains to be seen if either will start on Sunday.

Former Manchester United defender Phil Neville believes selling Nemanja Matic is one reason for the Blues' defensive instability this season.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5Live, the former England international claimed whoever sanctioned the deal 'should be sacked'.

Nemanja Matic will return to Chelsea on Sunday for the first time since his Manchester United move (Photo by Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images)

Read More

"It's as simple as that. The minute they sold Nemanja Matic was a mistake.

"When you had Matic sat in front of you, alongside [N'Golo] Kante, there was protection. Whoever made that decision needs sacking. That is one of the poorest decisions I have ever seen in the Premier League."

"If you ask any of those Chelsea players who they would want back, they would say Matic. Chelsea replaced him with someone who is going to do the same job – [Tiemoue] Bakayoko is not that player, he is not a holding midfield player.

"They didn't replace Matic. I wouldn't have let him out of the building, I would have chained him to the training ground walls."